Crash test causes gas leak in van's tank

July 19, 2001|By From Tribune News Services.

WASHINGTON — The 2001 Dodge Grand Caravan minivan leaked fuel during a crash test, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, prompting concern about the safety of the roughly 400,000 models on the road.

Earlier models of the minivans, produced by the Chrysler arm of DaimlerChrysler AG, also have produced leaks in crash tests and are being investigated by the federal government.

DaimlerChrysler spokesman Dominick Infante called the latest test result a freak occurrence and said the company believes the vans are safe. But he said fuel systems in 2002 models and a few 2001 models made after July 6 have been redesigned.

Brian O'Neill, president of the Insurance Institute, said any fuel leak can be a serious problem because of the threat of fire.

"We are not claiming that you are going to get fuel spillage in every crash of a Chrysler minivan," O'Neill said. "On the other hand, we think we have found an issue that needs to be addressed. Apparently, they decided to address it with the 2002 models but not the 2001 models."

Chrysler agreed to change a part that attaches to the gas tank.

The firm said the part, a plastic piece that holds the tank's fuel pump, developed a crack after a test where half of the minivan's front was rammed into a barrier at 40 miles per hour.

Infante said DaimlerChrysler conducted about 50 of its own tests and was not able to replicate the leak, which he said spilled only about two tablespoons of fuel per minute.

The government has been investigating the fuel systems in more than 2 million other minivans made by DaimlerChrysler for more than two years. That probe was opened after a 1999 Grand Caravan leaked fuel in a different area during two government crash tests.

DaimlerChrysler took no action following the test result and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration acknowledges no such fuel leaks in a crash have been reported.

NHTSA's investigation covers the Caravan and Grand Caravan, Plymouth Voyager and Grand Voyager and Chrysler Town and Country from the 1996-2000 model years. The 2001 model tested by the Insurance Institute is not covered by NHTSA's investigation.

The institute gave the 2001 Grand Caravan its lowest safety rating because of the leak. The institute also gave a "poor" rating to the 2001 Hyundai Elantra sedan because its air bag deployed late and there were high injury measurements on the driver dummy's legs.

Both vehicles were retested when the manufacturers objected to the first results.

In the second test, the leg injury measurements were lower, but the driver side air bag deployed late, allowing the dummy's head to strike the steering wheel.